Device for releasing cars.



No. 685,459. Patented ont. 29,'l90l.

T. J. PHILLIPS & w. e. HUDGE. DEVICE FOR BVE'LEA'SING GARS.

(Application filed June 7, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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i UNITED STATES TIIOMAS J. PHILLIPS, OF O'ITUMWA, AND WILLIAM G. IIODGE, OF IIILTON,

PATENT OFFICE.

IOWA.

DEVICE FOR RELEASING CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 685,459, dated October 29., 1901.

` Application filed June 7, 1901. Serial No, 63,525. (No model.)

y pello, 'and WILLIAM G. HODGE, residing at Hilton, in the county of Monroe, State of Iowa, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful Device for Releasing Cars, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements for releasing empty pit-cars from the cage at the bottom of the shaft of a mine; and the pur-V pose of the device is to render the releasing action automatic, impelled by the action of the succeeding car. We secure these results by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a plan with part of the car-Hoor broken away, showing the mechanism beneath.

In the drawings, A represents the shaft of a mine, and B the cage which operates in the shaft to raise the loaded cars to be dumped at the surface.

D is the track upon which the cars are propelled to the cage and on which theyare allowed to run olf the cage when emptied. The track D runs over the cage-floor, but is cut into sections cZ d, e e, and ff at the edge of the cage to allow the cage to ascend from and return to the bottom of the shaft, where the ends of the rails normally register with each other. Gars P and R, adapted to run upon the track D, each 'have bumpers M M, wheels F, anda cross-bar or stop a beneath the car, by which it is fastened, as hereinafter explained.

The means in use for locking a car upon the cage while it is being hoisted to the surface and returned to the mine are two weighted-lever systems g hc' and j Zo Z, each presenting normally upwardly projecting lever ends t' and Z. The parts g Zt aid in weighting the lever c', and the parts j k aid in Weighting the lever Z. These lever ends i and Z are adapted to be borne downwardly by the stopvor crossbar a.,'fixed ou thebottom of the car, as the car moves over them toward 11 of the system g h c' or toward Z of the system j k Z, and th'ese weighted levers resuming their normal position after the stop passes leave the stop fastened between the two normally projecting ends, thus locking the car. These lever systems are placed in the door of the cage, and the upper ends of the levers g and j are arranged to project fro'm the floor at a point under the ends of the car and are ilattened upon the top into steps n n, upon which an operator may tread to trip the lever and release the car. As an improvement upon this device we place the lever E, which we call the releasing-lever, upon the track aud pivot it at c' just outside the shaft in a position to connect with the weighted lever at its rear end. The opposite and outer end of thelever E is rounded 0r chamfered off to engage with the stop a of an advancing car and be de pressed as the car moves upon the track.

Thus arranged and constructed our device operates as follows: With the locked car R returned down the shaft and still locked, but ready to be discharged to the right, the car P is advanced until its stop-bar a engages with the lever E and depresses it, thus also de'- pressing the upwardly-protruding end of the weighted lever Z until it is below and out of the way of the stop-bar a. The car R is thus unlocked and free to be discharged from the cage and is pushed off down the track by the bumper M of the succeeding car P, which in turn advances over the lever Z and is locked in the position of the former, ready to be hoisted. Thus by our device the succeeding car itself unlocks the forward car and sends it down the track, making the use of the steps n unnecessary, although they may be retained for use when no succeeding car is used.

What we claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. In a car-releasing device the weghtedi and another car adapted to move upon and lever system j, 7c, Z, in combination with the lever E, substantially as described and shown.

2. In a car-releasing device the Weighted- 5 lever system j, 7c, Z in combination with the lever E and a car having the stop cb, substantially as described and shown.

3. In a car-releasing device the combination of a car, a Weighted-lever system locking ro the car, a releasing-lever adapted to raise one of the Weighted levers and unlock the car,

operate the releasing-lever, substantially as described and shown.

In testimony whereof We aiix our signa- I5 tures in presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS J. PHILLIPS. WILLIAM G. HODGE.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. PHILLIPS, MATHEW L. BYRNE. 

